Galway In Days Gone By

Panic-mongering

The complaint made by Mr. Ellis, J.P., at the meeting of Tuam Rural District Council, Galway, that the police had notified a man to “clear out, destroy his property, and bury his stock,” reveals, if there be truth in it, a scandal in panic-mongering that should be stopped without delay.

Mr. Ellis did not give names or particulars, but a clear obligation rests upon him as a magistrate not to allow a grave matter of this kind to rest.

We are inclined to think, however, that his informant rather exaggerated the notice conveyed to him by the police, as our own experience is that the precautionary notices conveyed through the police were either wholly misinterpreted in many instances, by those who received them, or else badly delivered.

Untrue war reports

An unusual case, the first of its kind in the West of Ireland, was heard at the City Petty Sessions, when a local postman named John Burke was charged by the Crown under the Defence of the Realm (Consolidation) Act, with having, on the 22nd January last, unlawfully spread false reports in relation to His Majesty’s ships of war, likely to cause alarm to certain of His Majesty’s subjects.

The charge was on that morning, the defendant did spread a false report – that some of His Majesty’s shops of war had been sunk by the German fleet in the North Sea, to the number of two, three and even seven ships. That report went around the town like wildfire, and created a great deal of alarm to some of the inhabitants, especially around the place where it was originally circulated – about the Claddagh and Dominick Street – from which places a lot of men are serving on His Majesty’s ships. That was not the first time such a thing had occurred, and the prosecution would show that on that day, Burke, mentioned in every house he visited on his rounds that some British ships had been sunk.

People would be inclined to give credence to the story when it was circulated by a postman, who might be supposed to speak with authority.

The magistrates having consulted, the Chairman said it was well for people to know the penalties they were liable to for a contravention of the Act – £100 fine or six months’ imprisonment, or both.

In times like the present, there was no use in every silly goose going about the place and making matters worse. The defendant was a silly goose in doing what he did, though he (Chairman) did not suppose he had any evil intention in doing so.

It was right to put a stop to such a thing, even though there was no evil intention. They would fine defendant £1 and costs.

1940

Summer Time

It is credibly reported that Great Britain proposes to introduce Summer Time on the night of Saturday-Sunday, February 24-25. This is our excuse for introducing such a subject at a time when we have all the vagaries of winter outside our doors and all the exactions of the tax gatherer coming in stern envelopes with the morning tea.

Following precedent, Summer Time should burst upon us like a thief in the night on the third week in April. Obviously, the reason for introducing the Willet scheme to save daylight in Great Britain while the snow yet lies on the ground is to give more daylight because of an intense blackout, which has so far cost many more casualties on roads and streets than the war and out of which the gay French get many a laugh as they tread their well-illuminated boulevards.

But the problem is of some concern to Éire, for if this innovation which would be regarded as an absurdity except as a war-time measure is enforced in Great Britain, it may be considered expedient to walk in step here if time-tables and inter-communications are not to be hopelessly out of gear during the eight weeks that must elapse before in its third week.

Fire outbreak

A fire which broke out in the lock-up drapery business of Mr. John Smyth, Dunlo-st., Ballinasloe, late on Saturday night and burned for some hours before it was got under control, gutted most of the premises and shop, and destroyed a large quantity of drapery goods stored on the premises.

Three fire brigades, the town council brigade, the mental hospital brigade, and the military fire brigade from Athlone, fought the flames for hours. At about 2am, when the military arrived from Athlone, the fire had got a good grip on the premises, and guards and civilians worked strenuously to keep the flames from spreading to adjoining premises.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.